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BY STEPHANIE BOMBAY sbombay@leader.net
Tuesday, February 01, 2000 Page: 5
A doctor (and six nurses) in the church
On Monday nights, St. Paul’s Lutheran’s back rooms become mini ER
It’s a little before 6:30 on Monday night, and Carolyn Fisher barely has
time to finish her dinner. She has an appointment to keep, the same one she
has had for nearly 13 years. The registered nurse is among five volunteers
who work to keep the Mountaintop Free Clinic open to patients. The modest
clinic is based in the back rooms of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wright
Township. A hallway serves as a waiting room, and two Sunday school rooms are
transformed in to examination areas. The clinic was founded by registered
nurses Donna Smith and Alice Doxsey, Dr. Doug Morgart and the Rev. Wayne
Heintzelman, pastor at St. Paul’s. The group met to discuss a medical outreach
program for the church and community and decided to open a clinic for the
treatment of minor illnesses and injuries. “We focus on acute episodic
care,” Smith said. “What that means is people can come for any reason at
all.” Running to the clinic on Monday is quicker than waiting for an
appointment with a family doctor, Morgart said. He sees a lot of minor
infections, bronchitis and strep throats as well as flu in the winter. The
clinic staff will not treat chronic conditions, he explained. The staff
directs people with illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure to
their regular doctor. “We will not replace their family physician,” Morgart
said. The doctor specializes in emergency medicine and is on staff at Penn
State-Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township. The clinic
has a small supply of pharmaceuticals, mostly antibiotics and asthma
medication, Morgart said. If anything else is needed, a prescription is
written. “Sixty to 70 percent of what people need, we can provide,” Morgart
said. The clinic is open from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays. Patients are accepted
on a first-come-first-served basis, Smith said, but the staff will not turn
anyone away. “We’ll stay until whenever,” she said. The first hour is
usually dedicated to registration and recording medical histories. Morgart
serves as clinic coordinator and chief physician, while six registered nurses
rotate shifts weekly. Medical staff was quick to respond to the clinic when it
first opened. “I read about all the good things these people were doing and
called and said, `Can I help?’ ” Fisher recalled. The clinic is not in need
of more personnel right now, but Smith said it could always use more funds as
it is supported solely by donations. Admission to the clinic is not based on
financial need, and money is never discussed. “A lot of these people have
limited health coverage or none,” Morgart said of the clinic patients. He
said a couple of sick children can drain a wallet. A doctor’s visit for two
children could run $100, not including prescriptions. “If they need to pay
that, that affects what they put on the table,” Morgart said. Many
Mountaintop community groups and individuals sponsor the clinic. “Their
generosity speaks to their confidence in us,” Smith said. The staff may not
receive a paycheck, but volunteers say they are rewarded. “Knowing that we’ve
helped people when the need was there …” Smith explained. “Sometimes it’s
just a smile that says it all.”